Long‐Term Effects of Gestures on Memory for Foreign Language Words Trained in the Classroom

Language and gesture are viewed as highly interdependent systems. Besides supporting communication, gestures also have an impact on memory for verbal information compared to pure verbal encoding in native but also in foreign language learning. This article presents a within‐subject longitudinal study lasting 14 months that tested the use of gestures in the classroom, with the experimenter presenting the items to be acquired. Participants learned 36 words distributed across two training conditions: In the audio‐visual condition subjects read, heard, and spoke the words; in the gestural condition subjects additionally accompanied the words with symbolic gestures. Memory performance was assessed through cued native‐to‐foreign translation tests at five time points. The results show that gestures significantly enhance vocabulary learning in quantity and over time. The findings are discussed in terms of Klimesch's connectivity model (CM) of information processing. Thereafter, a code, a word, is better integrated into long‐term memory if it is deep, that is, if it is comprised of many interconnected components.     

Extensional flow of blood analog solutions in microfluidic devices

In this study, we show the importance of extensional rheology, in addition to the shear rheology, in the choice of blood analog solutions intended to be used in vitro for mimicking the microcirculatory system. For this purpose, we compare the flow of a Newtonian fluid and two well-established viscoelastic blood analog polymer solutions through microfluidic channels containing both hyperbolic and abrupt contractions∕expansions. The hyperbolic shape was selected in order to impose a nearly constant strain rate at the centerline of the microchannels and achieve a quasihomogeneous and strong extensional flow often found in features of the human microcirculatory system such as stenoses. The two blood analog fluids used are aqueous solutions of a polyacrylamide (125 ppm w∕w) and of a xanthan gum (500 ppm w∕w), which were characterized rheologically in steady-shear flow using a rotational rheometer and in extension using a capillary breakup extensional rheometer (CaBER). Both blood analogs exhibit a shear-thinning behavior similar to that of whole human blood, but their relaxation times, obtained from CaBER experiments, are substantially different (by one order of magnitude). Visualizations of the flow patterns using streak photography, measurements of the velocity field using microparticle image velocimetry, and pressure-drop measurements were carried out experimentally for a wide range of flow rates. The experimental results were also compared with the numerical simulations of the flow of a Newtonian fluid and a generalized Newtonian fluid with shear-thinning behavior. Our results show that the flow patterns of the two blood analog solutions are considerably different, despite their similar shear rheology. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the elastic properties of the fluid have a major impact on the flow characteristics, with the polyacrylamide solution exhibiting a much stronger elastic character. As such, these properties must be taken into account in the choice or development of analog fluids that are adequate to replicate blood behavior at the microscale.     

Excavating an injustice?*: nationality/ies,ethnicity/ies and experiences with diversity of initial teacher education applicants and entrants in Ireland in 2014

Diversifying the teaching population is of international concern. Ireland has experienced significant socio-demographic change in the last decades, but we lack adequate data on the backgrounds of student teachers, especially in relation to nationality and ethnicity. In this paper, we examine the nationality/ies, ethnicity/ies and experiences with diversity of Ireland’s 2014 undergraduate primary and postgraduate post-primary initial teacher education (ITE) applicants, entrants and non-entrants, part of the focus of the Diversity in Initial Teacher Education in Ireland national research project. The overwhelming majority of respondents claim Irish only nationality, and are of ‘White Irish’ ethnicity. Respondents’ constructions of their ethnicity privilege nationality and skin colour. The exclusionary constructions of ethnicity of those self-identifying as ‘White Irish’ reveal the heavy influence of Ireland’s post-colonial nationhood. A significant proportion reported having little or no experience with groups different to their own. We end by noting implications on policy, research and ITE programme levels.     

Differences in African‐American and European‐American students' engagement with nanotechnology experiences: Perceptual position or assessment artifact?

This study examined middle and high school students' perceptions of a weeklong science experience with nanotechnology and atomic force microscopy. Through an examination of student self assessments and their writing, the study allowed us to examine some of the issues that may contribute to discrepancies that are seen between European‐American and African‐American students in science. The results of the study showed that after instruction, African‐American students were significantly more likely to agree with the statement that “science involves mostly memorizing things and getting the right answer,” than European‐American students. In addition, European‐American students were significantly more likely to write their newspaper stories from a first person perspective than their African‐American peers. The results are discussed in light of the assessment task, students' interpretations of formal writing, cultural differences in the use of language in writing, and possible cultural differences in students' perceptions of the science experience. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 787–799, 2007     

Organisational cultures in public and private Portuguese Universities: a case study

Perceptions of organisational culture made by three categories of staff playing managerial roles in each of two Portuguese Universities (one public and the other private) were compared using a questionnaire adapted from the Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument and translated into Portuguese. The four scales of the questionnaire, designed to measure the Cultures of Clan, Adhocracy, Hierarchy and Market orientation were found to have adequate internal reliabilities, though a factor analysis raised doubts about the construct (factor) validity of two of the scales (Clan and Adhocracy). Application of a MANOVA to scores on the four scales of organisational culture showed, as hypothesised, that the private university was perceived to have significantly stronger cultures of Market orientation and Hierarchy than the public university. No overall difference was found between the universities for the cultures of Clan and Adhocracy. However, general managerial staff in both Universities perceived the cultures of Clan and Adhocracy to be stronger than was the case for technical managerial staff.     

International inspiration and national aspirations: inclusive education in Portugal

ABSTRACT

This article critically analyses the recent developments and changes towards Inclusive Education in Portugal, through a policy analysis that includes the last three legislative frameworks. These policies will be analysed within their cultural and historical context, to explore the similarities and differences in the conceptualisations of diversity and inclusion; and the influence of international policies in the national policies that regulate the Portuguese schools’ role in ensuring education for all. The 2018 policies aim to ensure that all students, regardless of their personal and social situation, have access and participate in an inclusive school, which aligns with the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action (1994).     

Walk Little,Look Lots: Tuning into Teachers’ Action Research Rhythm

This article is a narrative résumé of a year-long collaborative critical inquiry into teaching methods with teachers of modern languages in Irish secondary schools. Putting myself, a cultural stranger and first-time qualitative researcher, at the core of this self-study, I discuss first the context and methodological framework of the study to later speak about several aha-moments that shaped my journey. The initial aim of making my participants become action researchers was fulfilled only partially. Because I allowed participants to co-create this action research study in tune with their needs and capacities, I needed to change my expectations. Rather than seeing parts of this study as a failure, given that so far none of my participants published their action research outcomes, I began to embrace an organic approach to continuing professional development that is based on active listening and collaboration.     

Twelve- and Fourteen-Year-Old School Children Differentially Benefit from Sensorimotor- and Multisensory-Enriched Vocabulary Training

Educational Psychology Review - Both children and adults have been shown to benefit from the integration of multisensory and sensorimotor enrichment into pedagogy. For example, integrating pictures...     

Tomorrow’s teachers—selecting the best: An exploration of the quality rationale behind academic and experiential selection criteria for initial teacher education programmes

Using Ireland as an example, this paper explores the rationale behind various selection criteria currently used to select suitable candidates for initial teacher education courses. It investigates and discusses patterns of association between second-level student teachers’ background characteristics on entry to their teacher education programme Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) and their achievement in terms of their final academic and teaching practice grades. It draws on a longitudinal analysis of application and examination data collected from eight student teacher cohorts (2000–2007, N?=?1,023) who completed their second-level initial teacher education at one Irish university. Special attention will be paid to the predictive value of entrants’ prior academic performance and teaching experience for their success in the academic as well as practical components of their teacher education course. The quality rationale behind academic selection criteria is contested on the basis of findings from this study. The positive impact of prior teaching experience on teaching practice performance and the differences in achievement observed between students from different academic fields are discussed.